Emerging Psychotherapies for Eating Disorders

Abstract

Eating disorders are serious illnesses associated with significant medical and psychological sequelae and, in the case of anorexia nervosa, significant mortality. Established psychotherapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy are effective for many patients with eating disorders. However, these treatments fail to yield full long-term remission in a substantial number of patients. There is a need for novel psychotherapeutic approaches for patients with eating disorders. The authors review three promising new treatment approaches in the field of eating disorders. Motivational enhancement therapy is based on established motivational principles for treating patients with addictive disorders and has been adapted as an early component of treatment for patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Dialectical behavioral therapy was initially developed for the treatment of borderline personality disorder and has been successfully applied to patients with binge eating. A novel form of family therapy, the Maudsley family treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa, has been newly manualized, and studies using this treatment are ongoing. For each treatment, the authors review the theory and techniques of treatment and then go on to review existing data on treatment efficacy.